Mission

The mission of the State Library is to provide high
quality library and information services to state government and the citizens
of Connecticut; to work cooperatively with related agencies and constituent
organizations in providing those services; to preserve and make accessible the
records of Connecticut’s history and heritage; to promote the development and growth
of high quality information services on an equitable basis statewide; to
provide leadership and cooperative opportunities to the library, educational
and historical communities in order to enhance the value of their individual
and collective service missions; and to develop and promote appropriate
legislation and public policy in support of these efforts.

Statutory Responsibility

Section
11-1 of the Connecticut General Statutes assigns to the State Library Board
responsibility for:

the supervision of the State Library by a State Librarian

planning for state-wide
library service, other than for school libraries

maximum state
participation in federal aid for public libraries

establishing standards
for principal public libraries

appointing an advisory
council for library planning and development

instituting and
conducting programs of state-wide library service

maintaining the state's
principal law library

maintaining a library
service for the blind and other persons with disabilities

planning and developing
the Connecticut Digital Library

making construction
grants to public libraries

creating and
maintaining the official state archives

programs for library
development and reader services

operating the Raymond
E. Baldwin Museum of Connecticut History and Heritage.

The
State Library Board consists of the Chief Justice of the Supreme court or
designee; the Chief Court Administrator or designee; the Commissioner of
Education or designee; five members who are appointed by the Governor, one of
whom shall be an experienced librarian, one of whom shall be an experienced
archivist and one of whom shall be an experienced museum professional; and one
member each appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, the minority
leader of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the
minority leader of the House.

Under
the direction of the State Library Board, the State Librarian is responsible
for administering, coordinating, and supervising the State Library;
administering the Federal Library program; developing and directing a public
records management program.

The
State Library Board approves rules and regulations for the state publications
depository library system, the retention, destruction and transfer of documents;
the Connecticard program; and statewide library programs.

Public Service

The State
Library provides a variety of library, information, archival, public records,
museum, and administrative services to citizens of Connecticut, as well as the
employees and officials of all three branches of State government. Students,
researchers, public libraries and town governments throughout the state are
also served by the State Library.In
addition, the State Library directs a program of statewide library development
and administers the Library Services and Technology Act state grant.The State Library, in conjunction with the
Department of Higher Education, administers iCONN, the Connecticut Digital
Library.

Improvements/Achievements 2002-03

Division
of Administrative Services

Continued to upgrade
the telecommunication and computer interconnectivity between the various
locations of the State Library by bringing improved communication
connections to the Commission on the Arts, the Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped, the State Records Center, and the Willimantic
Library Service Center.

Continued agency
initiative to replace all critical automation equipment on a three-year
cycle.

Continued efforts to
develop a partnership and close working relationship with the Connecticut
Supreme Court over the operation of the State Library/Supreme Court
Building.

Continued
to enhance delivery of IT services by implementing system wide virus and
spam mail protection, redundant data backup capabilities, and improved
infrastructure backbone systems.

Directly
supported the State Librarian in agency efforts to reorganize functions
and staff to accommodate the loss of personnel through layoff and the
Early Retirement Incentive Program.

Division of Information Services

At an average rate of 318 per day, 69,989
questions were answered for patrons by the three reference areas,
Government Information, Law/Legislative Reference, and History and
Genealogy.Onsite patrons received
answers to 47,450 questions, and 19,544 questions were answered by
telephone, 799 through correspondence, and 2,197via email.

47,418items were
added to the general collections;

12,247items were
added to the federal document depository collection;

13,167electronic
serial titles were available to patrons;

1,232Interlibrary
Loan requests were filled from the Division’s collections;

93Interlibrary
Loans were received from other libraries for patrons;

1,231Items were
loaned directly to patrons

Over 3,000 electronic state publications were
added to the Connecticut Digital Archive, preserving them for future users
as well as guaranteeing their continued availability to current
researchers. The State Library received a citation from OCLC, an
international bibliographic database service, commending the progress in
developing the Digital Archive.

Patrons with State Library borrowers cards were
provided with the ability to remotely access OCLC’s WorldCat, the
worldwide database of library holdings, through the First Search
interface, thus allowing patrons to do initial bibliographic research from
their desks or homes. WorldCat was updated through the deletion and
correction of over 30,000 State Library holdings, and the addition of all
new and recataloged titles.

A new collaborative with the Commission on the
Deaf and Hearing Impaired made a collection of information about deaf
culture and working with deaf individuals more readily available to those
who need them.The materials, in a
wide range of formats including Braille, videotapes, books, and
audiotapes, are included in the State Library catalog and circulate
directly to Connecticut residents and to others through Interlibrary Loan.

The Library has worked for many years to retrospectively convert
its card catalog to online records for the online catalog and WorldCat,
and to reclassify them to the Library of Congress classification
scheme.A milestone was achieved this
year as the last of the local history monographs was ‘reconned’, making
this unique and important collection available through the web
catalog.Serial local history
titles will be worked on next year.

The Library’s goal to acquire all publications
of all state agencies was furthered when, in response to a letter from the
State Librarian, new contacts were identified in several agencies, and
many valuable publications were received.The workflow to identify, acquire, and process state documents into
the collection was thoroughly analyzed, streamlined, and enhanced.

Division staff were primary creators of a video
introducing the State Library, its history, and its services. The video is
available for use by speakers and groups.

The Newspaper Collections, on microfilm, in
clipping files, and in original print, were brought together for the first
time in the newly renovated and reorganized Newspaper Room.

Over 714,600 patrons accessed the Library’s
website, bringing an average of 1,950 electronic visitors to the Library
each day.The website was
regularly updated with the addition of vital information such as the 2001
Legislative History searchable database, the 2002 Public and Special Acts
Index, updated forms and instructions for state agency record retention,
sample job descriptions for libraries, biographical sketches of
Connecticut’s governors, lists of Connecticut newspapers past and present,
and much more.

Searchers used web-based resources selected,
evaluated, and cataloged by the Library over 97,900 times.

The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped loaned
223,997 ‘talking books’ to 10,245 individuals at their homes or in
residence at 232 institutions around the state.

Division of Library Development

ConnectiCar.Significant improvements
were made to ConnectiCar, the Statewide library delivery service.These improvements resulted from
partial outsourcing, which allows existing state employed ConnectiCar
drivers and a private delivery service to meet the growing demand on this
important service.ConnectiCar is
the backbone of resource sharing among Connecticut libraries and delivers
over 1.5 million items for library patrons each year.

iCONN, the Connecticut Digital Library.During its second full year of
operation, Connecticut residents and students searched iCONN 5.6 million
times, an 18 percent increase over the previous year.iCONN provides universal access to a
core level of library and information resources for every resident of
Connecticut through their public library, school, college and from home at
www.iconn.org.Residents are able
to find answers to a variety of information needs including student
research, homework help, business research, professional development for
teachers and school administrators, reader advisory, and consumer health
research.The value of these
databases to local communities exceeds $20 million.Connecticut residents and students have
searched iCONN over ten million times since July 2001.

reQuest.iCONN also includes
reQuest, a web accessible catalog of the holdings of libraries across the
state.Through this service,
residents may locate and borrow books and other items from libraries.There are 17.8 million books and other
items in the reQuest database. The database was searched 951,775 times and
residents successfully used this service to borrow 60,034 books and other
items from libraries around the State; a 23 percent increase over the
previous year.A Request for
Proposal was issued to replace the current statewide catalog with a next generation
system that will include a “library portal” enabling Connecticut residents
and students to simultaneously search both the statewide catalog and iCONN
databases.The new system is
scheduled to be operational by July 1, 2004.

Public Library Construction Grants.The State Library administered a public
library building program that awarded seven grants totaling $1,700,920 of
reallocated state bond funds.The
State Library also provides consultation on issues related to library
space planning, library design and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Service Centers.The
library service centers in Middletown and Willimantic provided
consultation, training and supplemental material to libraries. The service
centers loaned 83,553 items to school and public libraries for a value to
local communities of approximately $3 million. The staff also provides
consulting and support to the Friends of Connecticut Libraries and
the Association of Connecticut Library Boards.A listserv was begun to improve information and
communications between local Friends groups.

Training.Continuing education and
training support for Connecticut library staff is a major focus for the
Division of Library Development.The Division offered technical training workshops at their
technology-training center in Middletown and at local libraries.Workshops were also presented on
library architecture, building design, emergent literacy, grant writing,
patron privacy and confidentiality, trustee development, genealogy
research, readers advisory, library security and safety and an
introduction for new directors.

Grants.The Division administered
$347,109 in state aid to public libraries and $676,028 in Connecticard grants to
reimburse public libraries for loans to out-of-town residents.The Division also administered $1.9
million in federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services.The Division partnered
with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to provide computers, software,
technical training and support to 32 public libraries in Connecticut.The value of the grants was
approximately $1 million.

Cooperating Library Service Units (CLSUs).The Division coordinated the
reorganization of the CLSUs into a statewide single organization.The yearlong planning process resulted
in an organization providing essential services to Connecticut libraries
in a more efficient and effective manner.

Public Records Administration

The Public Records Administrator
continued to work on the implementation of PA 00-146, “An Act Concerning Real
Estate Filings and the Preservation of Historic Documents.”PA-00-146 authorizes two granting cycles per
fiscal year.During this fiscal year
the State Library awarded 164 grants to Connecticut towns and municipalities
for a total of $1,026,825. Grants were awarded for paper conservation,
preservation surveys, index-recreation, and preservation microfilming. The
PublicRecords Administrator continued to offer educational
programs to Connecticut towns.On
October 22, 2002, a workshop entitled “Keeping Your Town Hall Safe and
Protecting Your Records” was held, and on June 11, 2003 a program entitled,
“Establishing and Managing Successful Records Management Programs” was
held.These full day workshops were
paid for out of the proceeds of the fund that was established by this Public
Act.

The Public Records Administrator remained
active with state and local governmentagencies
in monitoring statutory compliance to the numerous public records statutes and
overseeing vault construction in city and town offices.

The Office of the Public Records
Administrator continues to oversee the legal destruction of state and municipal
public records.This office processed a
total of 1,592 disposal requests, which amounted to 49,606 cu. ft. of state
government records.

The
Office of the Public Records Administrator and State Archives developed a
poster entitled, “Preserving the Past, Protecting the Future.”This poster was designed to represent the
Historic Document Preservation Program.It was distributed to all town clerks and public libraries in the State
of Connecticut and can be found on display in many town halls around the state.

State Records Center

The
State Records Center handled 9,170 reference requests/returns from 30 State
Agencies/Institutions.The Records Center
accessioned 6,338 boxes of Connecticut State Agency records and 12 backup tapes
from the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.The Records Center has space available for
an additional 11,022 cubic feet of records.The Records Center currently uses the services of Security Shredding and
Recycling for the purpose of shredding confidential and outdated
documents.A total of 3,694 cubic feet
of records were destroyed this fiscal year at a cost of $6,371.01.The Records Center is up-to-date on records
destruction

State Archives

The
State Archives published a newly revised edition of the Guide to the
Archives in the Connecticut State Library Fourth Edition (Hartford,
2002.)One thousand copies of the guide
were printed. The guide was distributed to all public and academic libraries in
the state.

The
State Archives arranged for the printing of Vol. XVII of the Public Records
of the State of Connecticut and distributed them to all public and academic
libraries in the state.The State Library
began a three-year project to edit, print and distribute Vol. XVIII and XIX and
the State Constitutional Convention of 1818.The printing cost for volume XVII and project costs for the next two
volumes are being funded out of the Historical Documents Preservation Account.

There were 40 accessions to the State
Archives amounting to 698.5 cu. ft.The
most significant was from Long Lane School dating from its inception in the
1860s to the 1960s.This accession was
the most comprehensive acquisition of a state-run institution’s administrative
and inmate records made by the State Archives.

This
year was the first time the State Archives participated as a partner in Connecticut
HistoryOnline, an electronic archive of historical photographs from
the Thomas Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut, the Connecticut
Historical Society, and Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc. The archives selected and
arranged the Mills Collection of Photographs and selected World War l Military
Service Questionnaires accumulated by the State Library to be reformatted and
added to the virtual archive.

The
Court records project continued for the first six months of the fiscal year
until layoffs led to the termination of the federally-funded project
staff.During that period, project
staff processed and preserved 195 boxes of county court records for Litchfield
and New London counties.An additional
100 cases involving African-Americans and Native Americans have been found.

Another
$960 was raised for the State Archives preservation fund from the sale of A
Guide for Processing Manuscript Collections.

The Museum of Connecticut History

Purchased more than 570 Connecticut historical objects, manuscripts and
photographs that concentrate on the state’s political, industrial and military
heritage.The Connecticut Manufacturers
Trade Catalog collection grew by more than 50 items. Direct descendants of
Major General Thomas Guyer of the 1850s Connecticut State Militia donated his
uniform coat, fine presentation sword and other memorabilia.Similarly, direct descendents of Civil War
Captain Gordon Whitmore Stewart, of the 29th Connecticut Volunteers,
also gave Stewart’s Colt revolver, sword, diary, war-time photograph and a
Springfield rifle-musket musket carried by an African-American enlisted-man in
that regiment.

Many of
the museum’s machine tools and oversize artifacts, (trunks, sewing machines,
stoves, etc.) were relocated to the museum’s 3,000 square feet of storage in
the Connecticut State Library’s new Van Block Facility.

The
Connecticut Patent Project, a custom-built database of some 20,000 Connecticut
patents spanning 1790-1890, went online.Connecticut ranked first per capita in number of patents awarded most of
these years, and the database is searchable by invention, inventor, town and
date.

More
than 13,000 students in 569 school groups visited the museum in this fiscal
year.The “walk-in” visitor count was
approximating 10,000 for a total of 23,000 visitors.

Division of Information Services

The Law and
Legislative Reference Unit maintains and provides access to
comprehensive collections of legal, legislative, and public policy
resources.The collection includes
statutes and case reports for all 50 US states as well as for all federal
jurisdictions, and a broad range of legal treatises, law periodicals,
loose-leaf services, and electronic resources on topics relevant to state
government interests. The Unit maintains the archives of Connecticut General
Assembly documents, indexes legislative bills and House and Senate proceedings
and public hearings, and compiles legislative histories for Connecticut Public
and Special Acts.The State Library
Bill Room provides information on the status of current Connecticut state
legislation, and supplies copies of pending and current legislation on request.

The History and Genealogy Unit
maintains and provides access to comprehensive collections of materials on the
history of Connecticut and its people.The Unit’s resources include an extensive collection of local histories
and genealogies, with particular emphasis on Connecticut and New England; most
Connecticut town vital records, land records, and probate records from the
1600s to the early 1900s on microfilm; church records from hundreds of
Connecticut churches, most available on microfilm; transcriptions of family
Bible records and cemetery inscriptions; abstracts of newspaper notices of
marriages and deaths; and military records.It holds Federal census records for Connecticut, 1790-1920 and for the
other New England states, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, 1790-1850 and the
Index to New England Naturalization Petitions on microfilm; and indexes to, and
collections of, published and microfilmed ships’ passenger lists and other immigration
records, with emphasis on New England and New York.Related materials include comprehensive and retrospective
collections of Connecticut atlases and maps (including Sanborn Fire Insurance
Atlases), city directories, and newspapers.

The Government
Information Services Unit maintains and provides access to
comprehensive collections of Connecticut government publications, United States
government publications, public policy resources, general reference resources
and current Connecticut newspapers. The Unit maintains comprehensive
collections of Connecticut and United States government publications dating
from the late 1700’s to the present. These collections, numbering well over a
million and a half pieces, support the Library’s roles as the Regional Federal
Depository for Connecticut and Rhode Island, and as the Connecticut State
Documents repository.Special
collections maintained by the Unit include: Civil Service Study Guides; and a
Safety Library of publications and videos which is maintained jointly by the
Department of Administrative Services and the State Library.

The Library
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is a network library of the
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of
Congress. The Library provides free mail loan of recorded and Braille books and
magazines and necessary playback equipment to eligible state residents unable
to read conventional print because of a visual or physical disability.

Division
of Library Development

This
division provides leadership, funding, education, and statewide services that
enhance a local library’s ability to deliver high-quality library service to
their community. The Division’s Programs and Services include: iCONN, the
Connecticut Digital Library; reQuest, the statewide catalog and interlibrary
loan system; continuing education opportunities, professional development
resources, technology training lab, training calendar; Connecticar, a statewide
library delivery service; Connecticard, a statewide public library borrower's
card and grant program; Consulting to children and youth services librarians;
Consulting Services to Friends, and trustees; Library Service Centers
(Middletown and Willimantic) – Training, consulting and collections to support
libraries; Public Library Construction Grants; Consulting regarding library
buildings, including the American with Disabilities Act, and library space
planning; Public Library Statistics; Federal Grants to Libraries; Connecticut
Awards for Excellence in Public Library Architecture and public library
service.

Division of Historical Services

The Office of the
Public Records Administrator is responsible for the design and
implementation of a Public Records Program for local governments and for state
agencies within the executive department of government.This includes administrative responsibility
for the State Archives and the State Records Center.The Office of the Public Records Administrator publishes records
retention schedules and records management guidelines for state and local
government agencies; publishes regulations regarding the construction of record
storage vaults and the creation of permanent land maps that are filed in the
towns; and conducts the annual examination of land record indexes; and
administers a historic documents preservation grants program to help
municipalities to enhance or improve the preservation and management of local
historic documents.By statute, the
Public Records Administrator and State Archivist must approve the disposition
of all public records.

The State Archives
program is part of the Office of the Public Records Administrator.The State Archivist assists the Public
Records Administrator in developing records management guidelines, regulations
and records retention schedules for state agencies and local governments.By statute, the State Archivist must review
all records retention schedules issued by and records disposal authorizations
submitted to the Public Records Administrator.Since 1855, the Connecticut State Library has acquired historical
records from the three branches of State government. In 1909, the General
Assembly made the State Library the official State Archives.Today, the Archives includes more than
32,000 cubic feet of records documenting the evolution of state public policy
and its implementation, the rights and claims of citizens, and the history of
Connecticut and its people.

The Museum of
Connecticut History is housed in the 1910 State Library and Supreme
Court Building.The Museum consists of
Memorial Hall, a magnificently restored beaux-arts style gallery, and three
adjoining exhibit areas. On permanent display are portraits of Connecticut
Governors as well as historic documents, including the State's original 1662
Royal Charter, the 1639 Fundamental Orders, and the 1818 and 1964 State
Constitutions.The focus of the Museum
and its collections is Connecticut’s government, military and industrial
history.Permanent and changing
exhibits trace the growth of the State and its role in the development of the
nation from the Colonial era to the present.

Reducing Waste

The
overall emphasis of the Library’s service program has been the provision of
quality service through the most efficient deployment possible of greatly reduced
staff and material resources.This
efficiency has been enhanced by the utilization of computers and
telecommunications networks to increase access to electronic and networked
information resources.These
capabilities were expanded to the Library’s outlying facilities.The Library also continues to stress
employee participation in the decision making process.Both of these efforts focus on the wise
allocation of limited resources by using time saving and work prioritization
processes to most effectively utilize Library staff.

Connecticar is a statewide delivery service for library materials
serving all of Connecticut’s public and academic libraries.Handling over one million items each year, it
is the backbone of resource sharing among Connecticut's public and academic
libraries. After an extensive study of the Connecticar operation by the
Division of Library Development a decision was made to outsource the delivery
service.As the result of discussions
with Union representatives for the Connecticar staff, a partial outsourcing of
Connecticar was implemented.This is
resulting in more timely and frequent pickup and deliver of library materials
to more libraries statewide at reduced costs. The State Library also worked
with the Cooperative Library Service Units to effect a merger of the four
offices into one new organization, the Connecticut Library Consortium.The merger is expected to generate savings,
particularly in the administration of programs, which will allow important
statewide services to continue despite significant reductions in state support.

Strategic Planning

The
State Library’s Strategic Plan was last completed in 1990 and is in need of
updating.The Division of Library
Development has revised its strategic plan and the Museum of Connecticut
History is in the middle of an assessment plan funded in part by a grant from
the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Library’s major goals for FY 2004 are:

Maintaining quality library services at a time of diminished
staffing and funding

Restoration of the State Library’s Book account.The book budget has been declining in
real dollars for years.These
reductions necessitated drastic cuts in the collections and prevented
purchase of new titles. Restoration of the book budget continues to be a
very high priority in order to avoid any further reductions in the
currency and comprehensiveness of the collection.

Selection of a new system to replace the current reQuest statewide
interlibrary loan system.

Development of a joint website with the Connecticut Library
Consortium to meet the information needs of librarians, trustees, and
friends through out the state.

Continued development of the iCONN, the Connecticut Digital
Library.

Continued development of the Connecticut Digital Archive in order
to insure citizen access to electronically produce state government
information.

Development of a competitive grant component of the Historic
Documents Preservation Program.

Establishment of a Task Force on Public Library Service to Seniors
and a Task Force on the Connecticard Program.

Information Reported as Required by State Statute

For the
twelfth consecutive year the Library’s Affirmative Action Plan was approved by
the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The first report of the
Historic Records Fund was submitted to the Legislature.